Ferndale's Joe Mahan, `Voice of the Eagles,' has died

Joe Mahan, longtime supporter of the Ferndale Public Schools and the well-known “Voice of the Eagles” died on March 19.

Mahan, a 1944 graduate of Ferndale’s Lincoln High School, has been the public address announcer for Ferndale High School athletic events since 1947.

Mahan also supervised the city’s summer baseball program for 25 years, and served as a charter member of the Ferndale Sports Booster Club.

He retired from the Detroit Public Schools in 1989 after a 38-year career as a teacher, counselor, and principal. He and his wife, Barbara, are renowned for their gardens and plantings that beautify the community near their home and in Roosevelt-Geary Park.

Because of his dedication to the district’s students, Ferndale High School’s Hansen Stadium press was named in his honor in 2005: The Joe Mahan Press Box – Home of the Voice of the Eagles.

Visitation will be Thursday, March 21, from 1-8 p.m., at the Wessels & Wilk Funeral Home, 23690 Woodward Avenue, Pleasant Ridge. The service will be Friday, March 22, at 11 a.m. Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimers Association.